Dental Care Tips For Dogs
Most people love their dogs and take good care of them but, many neglect their dogs dental health simply because they either don't know how important this care is or because they think that feeding them dry food and dog biscuits keeps their teeth healthy. While both dry food and biscuits can be of some help to your dogs dental health it certainly isn't the only dental care your dog needs. Here are some tips of proper dental care for your dog.
Regular teeth brushing
Most vets today recommend regular tooth brushing for your dog. While some recommend brushing your dogs teeth twice a week others recommend daily brushing. It is important however, to use use special toothbrushes and toothpaste made for dogs. Teaching your dog to accept his teeth being brushed is best accomplished when he is a puppy as an older dog may not allow you to brush his teeth no matter how much you coax him. If for some reason you can't get him to accept having his teeth brushed don't despair there are other things you can do to help his teeth stay healthy.
Rinses
There are rinses that are available for you to use in keeping your dogs teeth healthy. Consult your vet as the the best way to apply these rinses for maximum affect for your dogs dental health.
Special Oral Treats and Tartar control diets
There are special oral and tartar control diets that you can feed your dog that is great for his teeth and will help keep tartar from building up. Many people whose dogs are unwilling to have their teeth brushed find that these treats and diets help a great deal.
Raw Tough Meat
Some vets recommend giving your dog raw tough meat that they have to chew to help with their dental care. Raw meat such as stew meat has tendons that works like dental floss to clean between your dogs teeth. It should be noted however, that feeding raw meat to a dog who has immune deficiency problems is not advised as he could make him sick and in some cases be deadly.
Chew Toys
There are chew toys that are actually great for your helping to keep your dogs teeth healthy. Rope chews and rawhide bones are often recommended for helping to maintain your dogs dental health. As most dogs like chewing on these types of toys they could prove very effective to use.
Regular Vet Checks
Regular vet checks are an important part of your dogs health including his dental health. Vets are trained to see small problems before they become life threatening for your pet and can then take measure or advise you what measures to take to keep your dog healthy.
While no one thing may be sufficient to prevent dental problems for your dog a combination of several of these suggestions will at least help to keep your dogs teeth healthy. Many of the above options are easy to use and take little time and the results will be well worth the extra money or time if your dog remains healthy and happy for life.